13th Feb 2005, 13:45

Had sticking throttle plate replaced, still get water leaking in behind door cards. All common problems. Also had rusting around the bottom of a door and under b-piller and on hatch, all done under corrosion warranty.

2001 Ford Mondeo Zetec 2.0 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A drivers car with grace and pace

Faults:

Only two problems of note presented.

The first was a hesitancy when accelerating between 1500 and 2500 rpm. The dealer indicated that this was a known fault on new model diesel Mondeo and required the "chip" in the engine management system to be reprogrammed. It took some time for the dealer to get the correct chip so that the work could be undertaken.

The other fault concerned the very poor handbrake. The car rolled into another one when parked on a slight gradient. This was corrected by the dealer who advised that a clip was missing from the original assembly.

Otherwise nothing has gone wrong and the dealer service has been pretty good.

General Comments:

The Mondeo is a good looking, well built car.

In Zetec trim it comes with lovely alloy wheels, spot lights and very supportive sports seats with silver trim in the interior.

The heated front windscreen (not even available on my new BMW 320d) and mirrors are invaluable in frosty weather.

It is a great car to drive: good handling, great steering feel and very little roll in corners.

There is very good passenger and rear boot compartment space. Sadly the same can't be said of my replacement car, a BMW 320d.

2001 Ford Mondeo Zetec S 2.5 V6 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A pleasant surprise!!!

Faults:

Drivers seat cover replaced due to the stitching coming un-done.

General Comments:

I wanted a car that offered me an exciting driving experience, but with the space to carry 3 growing children. Enter the Zetec S.. Fantastic looks, great road handling, (Although not looking forward to replacing the 225/40 18" tyres) and a fantastic free revving engine.

Although I currently think the car is better than sliced bread, I am waiting for the squeaks and rattles to appear as the car gets older. Hopefully I'm proved wrong!!!

As for the dealers... Can't be as bad as the Mercedes dealership I used to go to.